Women's basketball loses heartbreaker, ending season in NIT

The Spiders were eliminated from the Women’s National Invitation Tournament following Tuesday’s last-second loss to conference rival Duquesne, ending Richmond’s season.

Despite trailing by 14 points almost halfway through the second half, Richmond rallied back to take back the lead with 3:49 left in the game. The final minutes were a back-and-forth affair before Duquesne’s April Robinson hit a 3-pointer to give her team a one-point lead.

On the last Spider possession of the game, Richmond’s Micaela Parson scored a layup but was called for a charging foul, discounting the basket and causing a turnover with less than a second to play. The ensuing Duquesne inbounds pass was successful and time expired, leaving the Spiders on the losing end of the 48-47 battle.

With the win, Duquesne advances to the third round of the WNIT and eliminates Richmond. This marks the Spiders’ second loss to the Dukes this season, the first coming in overtime earlier in the season.

In the last game of her college career, Gen Okoro led all scorers with 16 points, adding five rebounds and five steals. Okoro had 11 of the team’s 19 first-half points as the Spiders struggled to make shots from the perimeter.

Lauren Tolson scored 15 points of her own for Richmond, including two free throws to give the Spiders a lead before Robinson’s game-winning shot.

Despite the loss, Richmond’s defense was disruptive and forceful, allowing only 16 Duquesne field goals and forcing 24 turnovers. The Dukes’ 48 points marks one of the lowest totals for a Richmond opponent all season.

The loss marks the end of a streaky season for a Spider team that sometimes struggled against weaker teams but often rose to the occasion and played its best basketball against tougher opponents.

With the season over, the Spiders will have to replace the graduating frontcourt of Okoro and Liz Brown, a difficult task considering the interior defense struggled when those players went to the bench.

Richmond finished 19-14 this season, including 1-1 in the WNIT.

Contact Sports Assistant Walt Abrams at walter.abrams@richmond.edu